Sponsor: Housing Stability
Title
title
Grant Agreement with Minnesota Housing Finance Agency for Homework Starts with Home Project
end
Recommendation
recommendation
1. Ratify submittal of the grant application to the Minnesota Housing Finance Association in the amount of $1,146,554.
2. Accept a grant award and approve a grant agreement with Minnesota Housing Finance Agency for Homework Starts with Home Project for the period of October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2027, in the amount of $1,146,554.
3. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the grant agreement.
4. Authorize the County Manager to enter into agreements and execute amendments to agreements and contracts in accordance with the county’s procurement policies and procedures provided the amounts are within the limits of the grant funding.
end
Background and Rationale
body
In 2018, the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness (MICH), and the Heading Home Minnesota Funders Collaborative initiated a project called Homework Starts with Home (HSWH). The effort is part of the state of Minnesota’s action plan to prevent and end homelessness. It is intended to support collaborative efforts between schools, housing organizations, and local governments to identify, engage, and stabilize students and their families who are experiencing homelessness. At development of the project, it was decided that the local government agencies who were the Family Homelessness Prevention and Assistance Program (FHPAP) grantees would have the role of being the grant recipient and administrator of resulting contracts; in partnership with Heading Home Ramsey Continuum of Care (COC), the Housing Stability department presently serves as the FHPAP grantee.
Target populations for the grant are families who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness and have children who are in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 academic programs or youth (with or without children of their own) without a parent or guardian who are eligible for an academic program through grade 12 and who are facing housing instability. MHFA led the grantee selection process and Solid Ground in partnership with Lutheran Social Services was selected. As the FHPAP grantee, Housing Stability agreed to accept the funds to pass through to Solid Ground.
The county will receive a total of $1,146,554, of which $22,931 (2%) will be retained by the Ramsey County Housing Stability department for administrative oversight, with the remaining $1,123,619 (98%) being passed through to as a direct contract action to Solid Ground. Solid Ground will be the lead of the Homework Starts With Home collaborative, which includes Solid Ground, Lutheran Social Services, Washington County, Merrick Community Services, Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES), Independent Schools Districts (ISDs) 621, 622, 623, 624, 831, 832, 833, and 834, and the Suburban Ramsey Family Collaborative.
These funds help support the broader Heading Home Ramsey Continuum of Care strategic priorities to prevent and end homelessness in the county. A memorandum of agreement between the county and the providers was jointly developed clarifying roles and responsibilities. Housing Stability will be responsible for receiving and distributing funding to Solid Ground, monitoring Solid Ground activities annually, and monitoring expenditures and performance of Solid Ground quarterly.
end
County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☐ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
One of MHFA’s values is to be inclusive, equitable and just in its actions, as stated on its website. This not only includes supporting a new state Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness that focuses on racial, housing and health justice, but it also extends to Minnesota Housing’s funding commitments, including Homework Starts with Home.
Most families experiencing homelessness and housing instability in Suburban Ramsey are students and families of color; therefore, this grant will continue to enable working with people who are underserved, under-supported, marginalized and disproportionately harmed by the multiple pandemics of our time; poverty, racism, violence, and COVID-19. This includes indigenous communities, black and brown bodied individuals, and their children as well as those who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQI+).
The FHPAP funds for the HSWH grant will support students and families of color by providing supportive services, resources/referrals, and financial assistance to prevent their homelessness. Community Resource Navigators and Community Social Workers in the identified school districts work in partnership with Solid Ground to identify and support families who are at-risk of homelessness.
Community Participation Level and Impact
The existing suburban HSWH partnership has a student/parent advisory committee that has met regularly for several years. Topics for each meeting are developed by the advisors and can range from employment to parenting to tenants’ rights. Some meetings involve training and resource sharing, while others are more conversational. The meetings are held virtually over Zoom in the late afternoon/evening to allow members who work to participate, and gift cards are provided for participation. Using a continuous learning model, HSWH advisors provide ongoing input as to what is working and what is not, and overall cultural appropriateness. This practice will continue with the current HSWH four-year grant.
The HSWH team, which includes Solid Ground, partners with the Suburban Ramsey Family Collaborative (SRFC) who work closely with the Ramsey County Social Services, Workforce Solutions, and Children’s Mental Health Collaborative, as well as all public-school districts located within Ramsey County. This work involves planning resource fairs for families with children to ensure access to basic needs and health/wellness, to support wealth creation, and to provide opportunities for jobs and training.
☒ Inform ☒ Consult ☒ Involve ☒ Collaborate ☒ Empower
Fiscal Impact
Of the $1,146,550 to be received, $22,931 (2%) will be retained by the Ramsey County Housing Stability department for administrative oversight, with the remaining $1,123,619 (98%) being passed through to as a direct contract action to Solid Ground. Funds will be moved to a grant fund and will be allocated through the life of the grant (October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2027).
Last Previous Action
On December 14, 2021, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approved a grant agreement with the Minnesota Housing Finance Association for the Homework Starts With Home Project (B2021-263).
Attachments
1. Ramsey County Homework Starts With Home/FHPAP Contract